AS well as being the most romantic place in the world, Scotland is also the perfect setting for a braw historical thriller.

In celebration of Book Week Scotland 2016 (November 21-27) and its theme of Discovery, we explore some books by Scottish authors that are definitely worth seeking out …

If you enjoyed Outlander, you’ll love these page-turners, set against the background of wild mountain thyme and blooming heather.

After Flodden by Rosemary Goring

Patrick Paniter was James IV's right-hand man, a diplomatic genius who was in charge of the guns at the disastrous battle of Flodden in September 1513 in which the English annihilated the Scots. After the death of his king he is tormented by guilt as he relives the events that led to war. When Louise Brenier, daughter of a rogue sea trader, asks his help in finding out if her brother Benoit was killed in action, it is the least he can do to salve his conscience. Not satisfied with the news he brings, Louise sets off to find out the truth herself, and swiftly falls foul of one of the lawless clans that rule the ungovernable borderlands.

Spy for the Queen of Scots by Theresa Breslin

As lady-in-waiting to Mary, Queen of Scots, the beautiful Ginette - known as Jenny - is the young queen's closest childhood friend. Jenny has always been fiercely loyal to her mistress, but when she overhears a mysterious whispered plot, she turns spy for Mary.

Waverley by Sir Walter Scott

King George is on the throne, but there are those in Scotland who swear loyalty to the Stuart heir, Bonnie Prince Charlie, and are prepared to stake his claim in conflict and bloodshed. Young Edward Waverley is caught in the middle: son of a Hanoverian yet nephew and heir to a Jacobite, a captain in the King's army yet drawn to the brave Highlanders and their romantic history. Edward must choose where his loyalties lie, even as his heart is torn between gentle Rose Brawardine, and the passionate, principled Flora Mac-Ivor.

Catriona by Robert Louis Stevenson

Written in 1893, 'Catriona' is the sequel to the highland adventure 'Kidnapped', and follows the further adventures of its hero, David Balfour. After arranging a safe passage to France for his comrade Alan Breck Stewart, David tries to clear their names of involvement in the murder of Colin Campbell of Glenure, the 'Red Fox'. The political complexities and intrigue surrounding the 'Appin murder' make Davidʼs situation appear hopeless as he tries to find a path that will both save Alan Breck and James of the Glens, and keep his own neck out of the hangman's noose. With his life again in danger, the only person he can trust is Catriona, the daughter of the treacherous James More. Part adventure, part romance, and filled with atmospheric and evocative descriptions of old Edinburgh and the surrounding area, Stevenson considered 'Catriona' to be one of his finest works.

Witch Light by Susan Fletcher

1692. Corrag, a wild young girl from the mountains of Scotland, has been imprisoned as a witch. Terrified, in a cold, filthy cell, she awaits her fate of death by burning until she is visited by Charles Leslie, a young Irishman, hungry to question her. For Corrag knows more than it seems: she was witness to the bloody and brutal Massacre of Glencoe. But to reveal what she knows, Corrag demands a chance to tell her true story. It is a tale of passion and courage, magic and betrayal, and the difference that a single heart can make to the great events of history.

King Hereafter by Dorothy Dunnett

In King Hereafter, Dorothy Dunnett's stage is the wild, half-pagan country of eleventh-century Scotland. Her hero is an ungainly young earl with a lowering brow and a taste for intrigue. He calls himself Thorfinn but his Christian name is Macbeth. Dunnett depicts Macbeth's transformation from an angry boy who refuses to accept his meager share of the Orkney Islands to a suavely accomplished warrior who seizes an empire with the help of a wife as shrewd and valiant as himself.

There are hundreds of book events running right across the country during Book Week Scotland. Check out www.bookweekscotland.com for details.